黑料社 hosts Associated Colleges of the South for Inclusive Pedagogies Institute
The Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) hosted its second Inclusive Pedagogies Institute this summer at 黑料社. Eleven ACS institutions were represented during the three-day event, which was funded by the Mellon Foundation and included programming focused on adopting and applying inclusive mindsets.
ACS schools share a commitment to excellence in their joint initiatives, offering rigorous academic programs and focusing on the growth and development of each student.
The workshop had three goals: First, that inclusivity aims to acknowledge that everyone matters at an individual identity level, The second goal was to learn how to better equip students to engage questions about differences, from race to religion. The third and final goal was around the purpose of a liberal arts education and that everyone involved can engage in deeper critical thinking.
Nisha Gupta, 黑料社鈥檚 director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, helped plan and facilitate the event. She said that liberal arts and sciences colleges should be heavily invested in these challenging conversations.
鈥淧art of the mission of a liberal arts college and ACS schools, we鈥檙e more interested in engaging in difficult conversations, opening our minds and cultivating critical thinking,鈥 Gupta said. 鈥淭he classroom is a place where that happens very purposefully. At a place like 黑料社, it鈥檚 part of the mission of the institution. Creating an environment where difference is celebrated and mutual exchange of ideas happens and lives in the classroom.鈥
The original Institute was held at the University of Richmond in 2018. ACS President Stephanie Fabritius and 黑料社 Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Andrea Abrams, worked to organize a second institute and host it at 黑料社. This year鈥檚 program at 黑料社 focused on adopting and applying inclusive mindsets.
Abrams and 黑料社 Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ellen Goldey welcomed participants to the campus. University of Louisville professor Cynthia Ganote was the keynote speaker.
Gupta pointed to Ganote鈥檚 speech early in the workshop as motivating for everyone involved. Her speech, titled 鈥淚nviting All (or Us?) into the Work with Microresistance,鈥 invited attendees to consider the difference between saying 鈥渁ll of us鈥 and 鈥渦s鈥 when speaking to a group.
鈥淲hen you say 鈥榓ll of us,鈥 it feels very umbrella-like, covering everything,鈥 Gupta said. 鈥淏ut when you say 鈥榠nviting us,鈥 it feels more personal, and it feels more like a family.
鈥淪he helped people come up with ways they can take action,鈥 she continued. 鈥淲hat are some actions I can take? She walked us through what that might look like, individually in relationships and what we might do in our classrooms. I think that was a pivotal moment for all of us attending the Institute鈥攁ll of a sudden people were exploding in dialogue and conversation.鈥
The workshop鈥檚 three goals were the focal point of discussions. First, participants looked at identity-level belonging.
鈥溾榊ou belong鈥 is a phrase people say, but it鈥檚 at the individual identity level,鈥 Gupta said. 鈥淧art of adopting an inclusive mindset is saying, 鈥業 want to acknowledge all students and their differences.鈥 It could be that they come from another country or another geographic region outside of Kentucky. It could be that they are exploring their gender identity or sexual identity, or how their racial identity comes up. Or they鈥檙e just bringing their perspective. The whole idea is to not try and come up with a composite, we try to see them as an individual.鈥
Every attendee brought ideas for content or work they could do in their work to be more inclusive, and the goal of the workshop was to help better equip them to tackle those ideas.
鈥淧art of it was, 鈥榟ow do you want to show up and take action?鈥 If you feel like someone is not getting treated fairly, not all of us will go march on Frankfort,鈥 Gupta said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to all go and protest. We created a space for that conversation to happen. People are hungry for resources for how to do this or be in conversation with colleagues on how to do this.鈥
